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Linux is all about choice and freedom. There are different Linux distributions with different goals. It is a good idea to define your goals and select a Linux distribution as per your requirements.

I like Redhat and Debian for servers as they are rock solid, stable and come with good binary packaging systems. Some will swear up by Knoppix Live CD.

Some people like Suse and others recommend Ubuntu, including myself, but for personal use. There are others who like to compile everything from scratch (Gentoo).

1. Consider following factors while selecting Linux:
* Games
* Your Linux skill level
* Linux as server / network admin workstation
* Running Linux on a new Hardware / Laptop
* Running Linux on an older machine (486/PI/PII/Celeron)
* Running Linux on Office PC for email and office work
* Community support
* Commercial support
2. I recommend that you try out some different distributions. Go to distrowatch.com and look at What’s Hot and What’s Not
3. Make sure your hardware is compatible with Linux. Download Live CD (list of all Live CD) and see if your hardware is compatible with Linux.
4. Make sure good community support exists for your distro (for example check out Ubuntu community support forum)
5. Get a good Linux book that teaches the basics of Linux
6. Learn how to use search engines to find solutions to your problems
7. Learn to read man pages effectively and Linux commands to help you navigate
8. Contact your nearest Linux user group (LUG) and see what other members recommend. The Guyana Linux User Group can be found here http://www.linux.org.gy
9. Ask a question whenever in doubt; join Linux mailing lists and forums. When posting questions to a forum / newsgroup it is good idea to format the question and its content in a proper way in order to get a good answer. Make sure you provide all information while posting a question.